Internal-combustion motor



A. L. ANDERSON.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9| I9I9.

Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- A. L. ANDERSON. INTERNAL COMBUSTION MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPRQI 919.

1,357,135, Patented 00t. 26, 1920. 4

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES ARTHUR L. ANDERSON, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pate t d O t 26 1920 Application filed September 9, 1919. Serial No. 322,640.

i To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ARTHUR L. ANnnRsoN, a citizen of the United States,'residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combus tion Motors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and more especially to rotary valves; and the primary object of the same is to eliminate all individual inlet and exhaust valves and their operating mechanism, substituting a single element rotated constantly from the main shaft'and performing the work of the several valves now in common use efliciently, accurately, noiselessly, and more economically because of the simplicity of the structure.

A secondary ob'ect is to so construct the parts that the valve is readily accessible, and also when its casing is taken off the heads of the cylinders are open and] they in turn become accessible.

A further object is to make use of the same water cooling system which is applied to the cylinders, for service in the valve casing so as to prevent possible chilling of the explosive mixture.

Another object is to make use of the hot exhaust gases for heating said mixture when the engine is running. I 1

Other objects will be apparent upon reading the following specification wherein the invention is described as applied to a'four cylinder, four cycle internal combustion engine, although it willlbe understood that this improved valve could be used on other engines and even on engines which did not employ the explosive principle. Therefore the widest latitude is reserved in this respect, and the following description may be taken as typical in one manner of carrying out the invention, reference being had to the drawings in which g v v Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a complete engine with this valve employed.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the valve itself and the lower half of its casing.

, Figs. 3 and A arevertical sectional views on the lines 3-3 and '4:-4: drawn on both Figs. 1 and 2.

As shown herein, the cylinders C C C and C are cast en bloc, surrounded by indiv dual jackets J for the cooling agent which we may assume to be water, and the cylinders and jackets are open at their upper ends. The pistons P P P and P are connected respectively with the cranks of the main shaft M, the latter herein shown as having a fly wheel Vat the rear of the crank casing, and gearing G at its front end connecting it with the valve shaft V which 1n the present instance also carries the fan F. The letter C designates the carbureter, from which the main mixture flows through the main inlet I, the letter X designates the exhaust pipe leading to the muiiier if there be one, and the letter S designates broadly the ignition mechanism and specifically a spark plug as shown in Fig. 3. All the parts thus far mentioned are shown for the pur-. pose only of illustrating their relation to the present invention, and no novelty is claimed for them.

The casting containing the cylinders whlch are open at their upper ends as stated, s complemented by a second casting or head 1 which also forms the lower half of the valve casing, and by preference the head is connected with the cylinder casting by flanges 2-and bolts or screws 2 so that when the latter are. removedthe entirehead can be lifted oii as will be clear. At its lower side the head is shaped with cavities 4 registering with the upper ends of the cylinders and constituting combustion chambers, and

a single port5 opens through the top of each cavity. The upper portion of the cast.- ing constitutingthe head is semi-cylindricaland forms the low'erhalffi of the valve casing. The upper half of such casing. is also semi-cylindrical and complementary to the lower half, and it may well be secured thereto by flanges 8 and screws or bolts 9 so that the upper halfcan be lifted ofl? for the removal of thevalve yet to bedescribed. The shell of the valve casing is formed of concentric walls with a space 10 between them communicating with the water. jackets J of the several cylinders, and this space is continued around tothe top as shown at 11 in I and communicates with apipe 12 whereby the waterljor other-coolin agent may be directed into a hose and back to the radiator as usual and is not considered necessary to' illustratein detail. The bearings III 13 and 14 at the front and rear ends of the shell are each also by preference madein two parts so that the uppermost may be lifted off for removal of the valve (de scribed below) when the upper half 7 of the shell is removed for that purpose. So also the case 15 shown herein as inclosing the worm gear connection 16 through which the shaft V is driven from the main shaft, should be in two parts to permit the upper part to be removed in the same manner. It has not been thought necessary to illustrate the lubricating system, nor the ignition sys-.

tem further than by showing in Fig. 3 how a spark plug S may be inserted through the head 1 with its terminals standing within the combustion chamber 4.

The rotary valve constituting the gist of the present invention is a double-walled cylinder, or in other words a shell having a tubular axis, the axis being a pipe which handles the exhaust and the space between the pipe and the shell being provided with passages which handle the inlet of the explosive mixture. Said pipe is numbered 20, it is longer than the shell, and its bore is closed at the front end as at 21, beyond which it is extended forward at 23, journaled in the front bearing 13, and connected with orcontinued in the valve shaft V. The pipe 20 at its rear end continues beyond the shell as at 24, is mounted within the rear bearing 14, and extends into and communicates with the exhaust pipe X. The shell 25 surrounds said pipe between what might be called its front and rear trunnions 23 and 24, and is spaced from the pipe by end walls 26, the shell externally being of a size to fit accurately within the two parts 6 and 7 of the valve casing. The space 27 between the shell and pipe may be left open excepting for the passages yet to be described, and in order that these passages shall be formed separately from each other, each must of course include a wall 28 around the passage itself from the opening or port through one member as 20 to the opening or port through the other member as 25. This is the preferred construction, and yet it is quite clear that the space 27 might be omitted and the members 20 and 25 be cast solidly as one, having a rather thick wall between the two trunnions, and the wall cored to form the passages yet to be described. It would seem preferable, however, that the valve be formed as shown, for sake of economy in material, lightness of structure, and possibly to permit the utilization of the space 27 for the flow of a cooling agent or perhaps a heating agent if it should be found desirable. The rotary valve as thus described is, when used inconnection with an internal combustion engine of the type herein shown, rotated by and at half the speed of the main shaft M, and its service is to supply the explosive mixture from the main inlet pipe I successively to the several cylinders through intake passages yet to be described, and to scavenge or exhaust said cylinders successively by permitting the discharge of their burnt gases in a manner which also remains to be explained. It may be added that the order of firing and discharging need not necessarily be 1, 3, 4, 2 as herein, although that is preferred. Also it is obvious that the invention is applicable to an engine with a greater or less number of cylinders without departing from the principle involved.

The main inlet I leads by preference to a point 30 at one side of the valve casing 25 and at its niidlength, and here it leads through both walls of said casing as perhaps best seen in Fig. 2. The valve itself is cored with four intake passages 31, 32, 33, 34, their outer ends respectively disposed in alinement with the ports 5 of the several cylinders, their bodies formed by walls 28 within the space 27 between the shell 25 and the pipe 20, and their inner ends opening through the shell 25 in strict alinement with the inlet at the point 30. In Fig. 2 the inlet 35 which is at the top of the valve there shown is the inlet to the passage 31, whereas the valve in this view is in position where the inlet 36 to the passage 33 is in register with the main inlet at the point 30, or in other words fuel is here being'supplied to the cylinder C In similar manner the valve is formed with four exhaust passages respectively numbered 41, 42, 43, 44, their inlet ends opening through the shell 25 respectively in line with the ports 5 of the several cylinders, their bodies being formed .by the walls 28, and their outlet ends communicating with the hollow core of the valve which is the pipe 20, as seen at the point 45 in Fig. 3, and from this point of course the exhaust is to the rear through the trunnion 24 and out the pipe X. While the exhaust passages are substantially radial to the valve, though perhaps with their outlet ends diverted slightly toward the rear, the intake passages are shown as helical from the points of inlet to their several points of outlet, so that the explosive mixture shall find the least resistance in its passage fromthe main inlet I into the cylinders. In the engine here illustrated, the two intermediate passages 32 and 33 are of equal length and also the endmost passages 31 and 34 are of equal length. The disposition of the intake and exhaust passages for each cylinder may well be left to the constructing the periphery of the valve, which is at the I shortly after the exhaust.

moments when they communicate with the port 5 in the cylinder C The result of this disposition is that the mixture is admitted Or, difierently stated, after the mixture is admitted to this cylinder, the valve must make three-quarters of a revolution before the gases are exhausted. Such is the desired arrangement in the present engine wherein the piston in cylinder C is on compression stroke firing occurs in cylinder C the cylinder 3 is on intake, and the cylinder C is exhausting. The action of an internal combustion engine of this type is too well known to need further elaboration.

Thus is produced a rotary valve wherein a single unit serves to admit the mixture to and exhaust the gases from a plurality of cylinders, and this service is eifected by the simple and regular rotation of said unit through suitable connection with the main shaft. As seen in cylinder C the explosions take place when the port 5 is closed by the shell 25 of the valve between its passages 32 and 42, and whatever carbon is deposited on said shell will either efiect its close fit within the cylindrical valve casing or be removed by said casing as the valve revolves. The timing of the valve in connection with the movement of the pistons will be regulated by the gearing at G or at 16, but once set it is never changed. The sparking can be advanced or retarded by the well known means. The admission of the explosive mixture can be controlled by a throttle or other val irje located in the main inlet as indicated at 7 What is claimed is:

1. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a series of upright cylin- 2. In an internal combustion engine, the

combination with a series ofupright cylinders having single ports in their heads, a motive fluid inlet pipe, and a cylindrical valve casing extending over said cylinders and having bearings at its ends and an opening through its sidewall communicating with said pipe; of a cylindrical valve within said casing and having trunnions j ournaled 'in its bearings, the valve having a tubular core opening through the rear trunnion to an exhaust, a series of exhaust passages from the core to the periphery of the valve in line with the cylinder ports, and a series of intake passages within the valve around its core, their inlet ends opposite said fluid inlet.

and their outlet ends respectively opposite said ports and each in rear of its exhaust passage, and means for rotating the valve in timed relation to the movements of the pis tons in said cylinders.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR L. ANDERSON.

Witnesses WM. A. VERHEY, PETER ARN VERHEY. 

